Canada’s Forest Products Sector welcomes the Katowice Declaration on Forests for the Climate

Forest Products Association of Canada (FPAC) is pleased to support the Ministerial “Declaration on Forests for the Climate”, which was tabled today at the COP24 meeting in Poland. Today’s declaration recognizes the critical role that forests in Canada and around the world play in achieving global climate change targets.

In addition to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, forests have an important role to play in the sequestration and storage of carbon in the soil, trees and other vegetation, as well as providing products that store carbon. At the same time, it is a sector that provides 230,000 direct family-supporting jobs in some over 600 forestry communities across the country.

Forest management in Canada is governed by rules and regulations that are among the most stringent in the world. Canada’s forestry professionals consider conservation measures as part of their forest management plans, considering multiple species, watersheds, wetlands, pest management, fire risks, and climate change impacts as they plan harvesting activities.

Canada’s forest sector has voluntarily reduced its greenhouse gas emissions by 66% in 30 years, and prides itself in being among the best in the world in how we manage our forests. “We’ve understood for some time that our industry is uniquely positioned to be a crucial part of the solution to climate change because we work with a truly renewable resource,” said FPAC President and Chief Executive Officer Derek Nighbor. “This declaration is aligned and supports our sector’s 30 X 30 Climate Change Challenge to remove 30 megatonnes of carbon dioxide per year by 2030 – more than 13% of the Canadian government’s emissions target”. The forest products sector is looking forward to working with the Canadian government and our partners across the country to implement this important declaration.